Princess of Tunlan
The Princess of Tunlan is a character in Breath of Fire. She is the monarch of Tunlan during the time of the game's events. Role in Breath of Fire At some point prior to the party's arrival, Zog visited Tunlan and was granted a meeting with the Princess. During their conversation he claimed that he would be able to endow the Princess with eternal youth (via the goddess Tyr) if she turned the Time Key over to him. The Princess became enamored with him, which greatly concerned both her nursemaid and personal guard, and word of this trickled down to Tunlan's citizenry. Her nursemaid became so desperate, that she asked Ryu's party to spy on the princess while she was swimming so that they could discover the combination to the royal vault that the Princess had tattooed upon her back. The nursemaid hoped that she would then be able to steal the Time Key before the Princess could give it to Zog. The party is able to successfully spy, however, they input the combination backward -- failing to take into account that they saw it reflected in the water's surface. When the incorrect combination is entered, the treasury's security system engages and the Princess orders her guards to kill Ryu's party. However, they hesitate, no longer trusting the princess' judgment. This permits Deis enough time to use her magic to destroy the treasury walls, which in turn inadvertently allows Cerl to steal the Time Key. When Cerl reneges on the Empire's promise of eternal youth, the Princess takes out her anger by once again ordering the guards to attack. This leads to an enormous catfight between the Princess and her guards and the Nursemaid, Nina, and Deis. When the dust settles, the entire ordeal proves so traumatizing to the Princess that she is left bedridden. Appearance The Princess resembles a slender human woman with aqua colored hair. However, like her descendant Queen Poporo, she has a pair of silver wings sprouting from her back, a physical trait unique to the royal family. They normally cover the combination to the royal vault which the Princess has tattooed on her shoulder blades. However, while she is swimming, her wings are submerged in the water, allowing the spying party to see the combination. Personality The Princess seems to share many personality traits with Queen Poporo, the ruler of Tunlan during the events of Breath of Fire II. For instance, Queen Poporo's notoriously vain and self-centered demeanor seems to echo the Princess' own obsession with attaining perpetual youth. Poporo was also noted for her quick temper, and perhaps hinting at a similar disposition, two of the Princess' guards warn the party to be careful what they say around her. Etymology The Princess' name is never revealed, instead she is merely referred to as "Princess" in both the English and Japanese versions of the game. It is possible that Tunlan is a contraction of "Tuneland" following the pattern of self-evident town names such as FarmTown and HomeTown. Category:Royalty